Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 83

Bella's P.O.V.

Should I be worried the Devil is on my side? Isn't there some reason why you never want that to happen? When Lucien hangs up the phone, my insecurities and fears assault me again. My boyfriend and his angel/demon father are going hunting for my assailant. I know they'll catch him, but then what? Do they expect me to speak to him? I can't do that, I'll probably be catatonic if I'm within 100 yards of him. But slowly what Lucien is saying cuts through my haze of insecurity and fear. "You're shaking because of him, but I'm not going to let him scare you anymore." Damned right! Why have I been living in fear? HE should be afraid...afraid of being caught, afraid of the consequences of his behavior, afraid of Lucien and his father. They'll never let him get near me, they'll punish him for what he did. But what does that mean exactly? Lucien says they cannot kill him, but is scaring him enough of a punishment? I'm pretty sure I want to find out, and then in the next breath, I'm pretty sure I don't.

Lucien smiles at me when I tell him I'm on board with their plan. He pulls me into his chest and kisses the top of my head. I'm finding I really like this position...it's the same as when he pulled me from the brambles in the woods, and it soothes me instantly. "I love you Bella," he says quietly, giving me some of his strength. I nestle further into his chest, grabbing his shirt with one hand while lacing my other around his waist. "I love you too, Lucien," I tell him, meaning every word.

Lucien's P.O.V.

We head back into the house to start making dinner, but I am so amped up I can barely sit still. Bella admitted she loves me and we found the fucker who attacked her. She notices my agitation and comments on it. "Sorry," I tell her, "I'm just looking forward to meeting John Jacob Henry. Who has three first names anyway? Must be a real twisted asshole," I say, trying, and succeeding, to get her to smile. She laughs and agrees as she puts the chicken casserole we made in the oven. I cannot stop staring at her. It's almost as if the invisible barrier she erected, blurring who she really is to protect herself, has been cleansed away, leaving a fresh, insightful and confident woman in it's place. I now understand what Garrett meant when he said Bella looks more like herself than she has in years. She's gorgeous, and my instinct to protect her flares when she looks at me.

"What?" she asks, "is there something on my face?" She begins to scrub around her mouth with a wet paper towel while I just continue to stare. "Lucien, what are you staring at? What's wrong?" She looks at her shirt, touches her hair, and then tries to see her reflection in the glass of the oven door. When she turns to me with a question in her eyes, I just smile at her.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," I tell her, "and I cannot get enough of looking at you." Her cheeks bloom an adorable shade of pink and it makes me move toward her. "I consider myself to be the luckiest man in the universe," I murmur, tracing the side of her face with my finger. "I know I've put a lot of pressure on you, but I hope what we're about to do will put a nail in the box that holds all your bad memories."

She mewls when she wraps her arms around my neck. "I'm the one who is lucky to have you," she tells me with a hitch in her breath. She's tying valiantly not to cry, so I hold her, stroking her back with my free hand. Her father comes into the kitchen just as I feel her relax and get herself under control.

"Did you guys already put the casserole in the oven?"

Bella turns her head, still resting against my chest, to look at her father. "Yes, just put it in a few minutes ago. Should be ready in about an hour."

He nods. "I'll make the rice, why don't you two go sit down and relax," he tells us, bending to find a pot to cook rice in.

I nod my thanks. "Come on," I say to Bella, taking her hand and leading her into their family room. "Do you want to watch TV?"

She shakes her head. "I want you to hold me, because when you do, I can breathe a little easier when I think about your father and what the two of you are planning to do tomorrow."

I sit down on the couch and pull her into my arms, kissing the top of her head. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No," she says immediately, "but I think I should," she adds a moment later. That's my girl, I think proudly.

"Okay, so let me tell you what is more than likely going to happen." I recount, from years of experience, how John Henry is going to react when confronted by the Devil and his son. We will make sure he understands our visit is regarding his past indiscretion in June of 2019. I go into great detail about the kinds of sounds he is going to make, the crying and pleading that's going to happen. When we have him subdued and whimpering, we will bring him to her so she can look him in the eye and sever the invisible shackle he's imprisoned her with these past few years. If she wants to inflict damage to his person, my Dad and I won't judge or stop her. I can tell she's listening with every cell in her body, and when I feel her nod her head, I squeeze her and look down at her. When she raises her eyes to me, I smile. "Think you can handle that?" I get another nod in response. Good girl.